• Your 24-hour tele-BEARS “appointment” only marks the beginning of your tele-BEARS access and is the period when you have special hours. HOWEVER, you can continue modifying your schedule during open hours until the end of the phase in question. This gives you a chance to monitor course enrollment information and change your classes around as courses fill up in unexpected ways. Open hours:http://registrar.berkeley.edu/telebears_calendar.html
• On the Online Schedule of Classes, the link on the bottom of each entry that says “click here for current enrollment information and course restrictions” gives you the most up to date information. The stuff on the entry that says “limit, enrolled, etc.” is updated only once a day.
• Get into an open discussion or lab section if possible. Students in an open section who place behind on the lecture waitlist will be enrolled before those who are ahead on the lecture waitlist but who cannot get into a section.
• Be flexible and have plenty of options. There are so many ways to complete your degree. You don’t need to be fixated on a certain set of classes and a particular four year plan.
• Don’t be afraid to put yourself on the waitlist. A lot of students drop classes during the first few weeks. If your waitlist number is under 10% of the enrollment limit, there’s a good chance (although no guarantee) that you will get into the course. If you are waitlisted, you might want to enroll in and attend an extra class just to make sure you can have the minimum 13 (or 12, depending on college) units when you need them.
• Cross-listed courses are listed with the prefix “C” in the course number. These are courses that are affiliated with and managed by two separate departments. If you are trying to get into a full course that is cross-listed, check which course it is cross-listed with and see if there is space available through the other department.
• If you need to switch discussion sections, don’t drop and re-add the class. Use the “switch sections” feature on tele-BEARS. This will warn you if you risk losing your place in the course.

Phase 1 Tips:

• Give first priority to courses that are the prerequisites to a lot of other courses you may need to take later on (the chemistry sequence, for example). Hold off on courses that you can take at any point during your undergraduate career, even if they are impacted. 
• Sign up for physics as early as possible. Lower division physics courses fill up fast, and many do not use a waiting list.
• Sign up for chemistry lab. Lab is often impacted, although lecture can often wait.
• For lower division chemistry courses with multiple lecture sections, you do not have to attend the one you sign up for. So you can enroll in the section with seats available (if the other is filled) and then attend the one you want.
• Language courses fill up fast, and they will never expand the number of seats, so if you want to sign up for a language class, it might be wise to do so early.
• If applicable, R&C courses should be a priority, since you need to complete this requirement before the end of your sophomore year. There may be seats left over, but chances are that you won’t get the section you want or the time you want it. On the bright side, two years is plenty of time, so don’t stress out if you don’t get into the class you want.
• PE classes tend to be very impacted. There a reason Phase 1 allows you 10.5 units instead of just 10. Use that 0.5 unit well.
• Freshman and sophomore seminars are very popular and impacted. Sign up for those early if you want a spot.
• If you’re looking at a course that uses selection criteria other than on a first come, first served basis (e.g. by audition), do not waste your 10.5 units by signing up for those during Phase 1. You will be guaranteed a spot if you are approved into the course. It won’t be too late to enroll then.

Phase 2 Tips:

• Phase 2 has a SOFT cap of 16 units, meaning that if you are at 15 units, you can add another class, even if the last class is 5 units. Plan out the order in which you add classes if you intend to go beyond 16. See post titled “Telebears: General Info and Phases” for more information.
• If you need to drop a class to facilitate the above “order” make sure that you can add it right back. Check the most recent enrollment status and course restrictions.
• It’s perfectly okay to sign up for more classes than you intend to take, as long as you finalize your schedule before the add/drop deadline.

Adjustment Period Tips:

• Check your class schedule before every deadline, and keep a copy every time you make a change. A lot of students are unaware that something happened to their schedule until it is too late. If there is an administrative error at any point, you need to be able to prove it.
• Be true to yourself. Are you in the classes you want to be taking? Are you sure that you will be able to stick it out throughout the semester?
• In addition to helping you get a good start during the semester, Professor Chang’s tip on 3x effort for the first 3 weeks will help you judge your course load and help you decide whether or not a course load is right for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk1-QHMi5u4